The Most Glaring Flaw for Every ACC Basketball Team

Perhaps this year more than ever, no ACC team is close to perfect. A season defined by startling upsets and massive letdowns has highlighted each squad's weaknesses at various times.

Some head coaches are dealing with substantial breakdowns that doomed this season a long time ago. Others hope to handle minor cracks in the armor before they become the team's undoing. 

The conference tournament is creeping closer and NCAA tourney action awaits immediately afterward, so most of these flaws are long shots to fix at these late stages of the season. Here's a peek at problems (big and small) that have plagued each ACC squad.

Boston College: Torched by Three-Pointers

Boston College has been buried by a barrage of three-point buckets throughout the season. The Eagles are surrendering a league-worst shooting percentage from beyond the arc. 

Opponents are hitting 39 percent of long distance shots against Boston College. The Eagles struggled to defend the perimeter in two recent losses. 

NC shot 7-of-17 (41 percent) from three-point territory in a Feb. 27 matchup. Three days earlier, Duke drilled 47 percent of its attempts from downtown. 

Clemson: Steep Drop-off in Backcourt

Clemson certainly misses its senior guards of last season. Tanner Smith and Andrew Young provided backcourt stability and take on the task of leading scorer when necessary.

The Tigers have fallen short in an attempt to replace the duo. Jordan Roper, who ranks fourth on the team in scoring, hasn't come close to carring the offensive load as one of Clemson's primary guards.

He and fellow freshman Adonis Filer are promising talents who could blossom into an elite backcourt tandem, but their inexperience is holding the Tigers back right now.  

Duke: Giving Up Too Many Points in the Paint

The Blue Devils are an offensive powerhouse, but that quality alone won't drive Duke to a title. The nation's third-ranked team needs to step up its interior defensive efforts.

No ACC squad surrenders more points in the paint per game than Duke. It's plagued the Blue Devils in each loss, highlighted by a defeat in which NC State scored 42 inside.

Duke is a great offensive team, particularly from beyond the three-point arc. But on nights when outside shots aren't dropping, the Blue Devils better be able to deliver down low on the defense.

Florida State: Pushed Around in the Post

This Florida State squad is a far cry from the 2012 version in a variety of ways. The most noticeable drop-off from last year's ACC championship team can be found underneath the rim.

The Seminoles, who ranked third in conference rebounding last season, are currently the ACC's worst team in that category. Florida State feasted on the glass last March but the program simply hasn't been able to duplicate that effectiveness this time around.

Georgia Tech: The Rim Seems Far Too Small

The Yellow Jackets are offensively inept. This team currently ranks last in the ACC in three-point percentage, field-goal percentage and free-throw percentage.

A woefully poor offensive output has put Georgia Tech on thin ice all season. The Yellow Jackets have won just one ACC game when surrendering 70 points or more.

Maryland: Too Many Turnovers

Maryland coughs the ball up more than any team in the conference. The Terrapins have earned that distinction by an embarrassingly wide margin.

Maryland suffers an average of 15.2 turnovers per game. The other 11 ACC teams average fewer than 13 turnovers.

Careless possessions and untimely steals have been the Terps' demise on several occasions this season.

Miami: Missing Freebies in Tight Games

The Hurricanes have looked strong in most facets on the way to clinching at least a share of the ACC regular season title. Free-throw shooting, however, is a lingering weakness.

Miami connected on 14-of-17 attempts from the charity strip in Saturday's loss to Duke but that performance rises well above this season's standard. The 'Canes other losses were partially defined by failures at the free-throw line.

Miami shot less than 55 percent from the stripe in its first four defeats of the season.

North Carolina: Inability to Beat the Best

Despite a shaky start in Chapel Hill, Roy Williams' squad has solidified its NCAA tournament fortune with five consecutive wins since Feb. 13. The Tar Heels have done an excellent job of picking off the ACC's middling opponents but still have plenty to prove when playing top-tier teams. 

North Carolina couldn't hang with Indiana, fell to feisty Butler and was taken to the woodshed by Texas. The Tar Heels are 1-4 against ranked opponents. 

You don't make it into April without beating elite teams so this is a test UNC must pass in order to pick up another national championship.

North Carolina State: Stumbling on the Road

NC State has fallen far short of expectations. The Wolfpack, picked to finish first in the ACC Preseason Poll, will find themselves lamenting a string of road losses at season's end. 

NC State is 2-5 in its last seven contests away from home and 0-3 when visiting ranked foes. Recent defeats at Duke and North Carolina were decided by double-digit margins.

The Wolfpack's potential NCAA tournament seeding has suffered due to the span of shaky showings on the road.

Virginia: Pushed Around Inside

The Cavaliers rank 284th in the nation in rebounding and last among ACC teams in collecting offensive boards. Virginia has struggled to cash in on second-chance points following missed shots and frequently settles for one-and-done possessions.

North Carolina beat the Cavs in a February showdown by bullying Virginia inside. The Tar Heels pulled down 10 offensive rebounds, many translating into easy points in the paint.

Virginia Tech: Perimeter Game Falls to Pieces

Virginia Tech was the ACC's second-best three-point shooting team in the league last season. The Hokies buried 37 percent of attempts from long distance and could rely on that aspect of the offensive arsenal on most nights.

A year later, the team ranks 11th in that department among conference members. The ineffectiveness from outside has cost Virginia Tech dearly as the Hokies have hobbled to a 4-13 record against ACC opponents.

Jarell Eddie, who converted 44 percent of his three-point attempts as a sophomore, is ice cold. The junior forward has seen his long distance efficiency fall to 32 percent this season.

Wake Forest: Lack of Top Level Point Guard Play

There's plenty of blame to go around in Winston-Salem as another disappointing season nears its conclusion. You'll hear plenty of rumors about the future of head coach Jeff Bzdelik, as Wake Forest tries to find a way to regain respectability in the ACC.

The Demon Deacons struggle to sustain offensive momentum right now because no one has stepped up to lead the charge. The days when Chris Paul provided masterful point guard play fade further into the rear-view mirror with each frustrating year.

Wake Forest averages just 11 team assists per game, which ranks 297th in the nation. No player averages three assists per game, which seem to show a potential disconnect between the embattled Bzdelik and the players leading his game plan.